Carly Wanna Photo
Houser, Carmon, with members of Kompozure and Mohammed.
Photo Courtesy of Jerome Houser
Chyann Houser.
Ne-Yo, Jamie Foxx, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix are among early stars who performed before the 1,500 scarlet chairs of the iconic Apollo Theatre before launching careers. On July 4, 17 year-old Chyann Houser of New Haven intends to add her name to the roster.
Houser will sing in New York City as part of Showtime at the Apollo, a historic program hosted at the theatre. She will compete for a chance to win $5,000 with her original song, “Fire of Love.”
“I’ve been working on a lot of stuff to get to the point where I’m at now to be on it,” Houser said.
As a young child, Houser, who lives on the west side of town, said she was shy, far too nervous to confidently sing in front of people. She did it, anyway, beginning her career in fourth grade with a girls’ group as part of the Elm City’s “Ice the Beef” anti-violence youth program stationed near the corner of Goffe Street and Sherman Avenue. When the group disbanded in middle school, she turned to her solo vocal talents.
Since then, Houser has trained daily for hours with Chaz “Sunni Chi” Carmon and Edwin Mohammed at Ice The Beef. Houser’s diligent training, which serves as her main activity outside of her schooling at HSC, allows her to tackle a variety of genres as well as play her hand in songwriting.
Her dedication and talent landed her a performance in front of individuals associated with Def Jam Records. At the event, a worker from the Apollo heard her sing and invited her to audition for the show, which landed her the July 4 opportunity. Her dad received email notification as well as a phone call concerning her acceptance a couple of months ago.
“I felt great about it. We were waiting for it because she had gone to audition like seven months earlier,” said Jerome Houser, the singer’s father. “It’s been nonstop since then.”
The live audience members at the Apollo select their favorites while reserving the ability to boo those performers from whom they’ve heard enough. Winners advance to the next stage of the competition.
Houser said she finds her support in her family, the New Haven community and Ice the Beef. The organization runs a variety of after-school activities to serve as alternatives to get kids “off the street and do something,” in Carmon’s words
Carmon’s own eclectic past wound him through every neighborhood in New Haven as well as a variety of different high schools before he began to deal drugs around the area. His craft eventually led to a door-to-door sales job, pulling him down South to Florida and Atlanta and later depositing him at the foot of New Haven and a Christian awakening.
Carmon himself has worked in music and as an actor. He said his connections help to provide opportunities for aspiring artists like Houser.
“I’m sorry to say a lot of the music industry and movie industry is who you know,” said Carmon.
Carmon has discovered other talents in addition to Houser. They include three teens –– 16 year-old Aveion Downs, 17 year-old Javione Hinds, and 15 year-old Shawn Suffra –– comprising the group “Kompozure.” Their acapella, doo-wop music can be heard ringing through Goffe Street Park until the sun sets, at which point they undertake homework as well as the many other priorities of teenage boyhood. The group recently performed on WPKN FM’s “Antique Blues” show.
And while they each have a Plan B –– ranging from dance instruction, technology and journalism –– the teens share Houser’s dream: cracking the seal of musical profit.
The trio’s members hail from Kensington Street, Goffe Street and Foote Street. Downs and Hinds both met at a party and got in contact with Suffra a couple of months later. While Downs and Suffra hold little more than a year of training under their belt, the three voices blend together to create a rich tone centered around doo-wop music, an old school style that gives the boys “goosebumps.” Such stage prowess has landed them gigs in New York City, much like Houser.
The performers’ charm resides in their undeniable talent as well as their fervent beliefs that echo those of the values of Ice the Beef at large.
“We’re trying to change the world. We’re trying to get our people to unite. We start with communities,” said Downs.